Process of aging liquors



(No Medel.)

C. A. STEEN. PROCESS 0F AGING LIQUORS.

' No. 540,279. 'PatentedJune 4, 1895.

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artnr CHRISTIAN A. STEEN, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF AGING LIQUORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,279, dated'J une 4, 1895.

Application lerl October 30, 1893.

lo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN A.STEEN, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Aging Liquors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in theart of aging spirits and has for its object, in part, to improve the method or process generally pursued in aging liquors whereby the time required for the completion of the process is shortened and a better iavor imparted to the spirits, and in part, to provide an apparatus of a simple and novel construction whereby the process may be carried into effect, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In order that my invention may be the bet ter understood I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings an apparatus such as I prefer for carrying out the same, in which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section of the same.

In the drawings A represents the outer inclosing shell or casing of a cylindrical form having open ends over which are secured in an air-tight manner, the flanged heads a. An air-inlet pipe B provided with a pressure-gage b and a cock b communicates with the upper part of casing A and the lower part of the same is provided with an inlet pipe c andan outlet pipe c2 for the admission and withdrawal of the spirits. A heating coil e is also pro vided, preferably arranged below thel liquid level in the casing A, whereby the contents thereof may be heated to a proper temperature for carrying out my improved process.v

C is a shaft extending longitudinally through the casing A, its opposite ends being provided with packed journals in the heads a thereof, and on this shaft C within the casing are secured the heads DX, D of a drum Serial No. 489.470. (No model.)

D, said heads being provided ontheir inner adjacent faces with annular grooves d', d to receive the opposite ends of the slats or strips a', a forming the periphery of the drum D. These slats ot are separated by narrow spaces so as to permit the inflow ot' the spirits to the interior of the drum D which is lled with a loose packing or filling of broken charcoal, wood shavings or other oxidizable material.

In carrying out my process with such an apparatus I admit a sufficient volume of the rawspirits tothe shell A to till the same about one half full -as indicated in the drawings. When this has been done, atmospheric air, ozone or oxygen gas is admitted under press ure through the pipe B, and hot air or water is admitted to the heating coil c so as to raise 'the temperature of the contents to a proper degree of heat. The drum is now set in slow rotary motion and as the same rotates it will be seen that the iilling thereof is dipped or immersed below the surface of the raw spirits. In the continued rotation of the drum the saturated portions of the filling of the drum D emerge above the liquid level, and the raw spirits borne thereby will be exposed in thin i films and streams to the oxidizing agency of the air, ozone or oxygen on the one hand and the action of the oxidizable fillings on the other. In this manner thecontents of the casing will be brought in direct contact with the oxygen whereby the amylicalcohol therein contained will be resolved into the ethers which impart the flavor or bouquet to aged spirits.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In an apparatus for aging spirits, the combination with an air-tight vessel having an air-inlet and an inlet andan outlet for the spirits, of a shaft rotatively mounted in said vessel, a hollow drum mounted on said shaft within said casing, said drum having a slatted periphery, and a lling of `porous oxidizable material arranged in said drum, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus lfor aging spirits, the combination with an air-tight vessel having an air inlet and an inlet and an outlet for the spirits, of a shaftarranged across said vessel and fprovided with stuffing boxes at the points where it passes through the walls thereof, a

IOO

drum composed of heads mounted on said In testimony that I claim the foregoing shaft inside said casing and having eorrehereunto affix mysignatnre this 20th day of ro 'sponding grooves in their adjacent faces, and September, A. D. 1893.

Wooden slats arran "ed longitudinally of said 1 shaft with their 'ree erds engaging the CHRISHAN A SLEBN [L S'] grooves in the respective heads, and a porous In presence ofyfilling of oxidizable material arranged in said JON BRACKHARDT, drum, substantially as set forthl J. K. BARTOW. 

